(Open Up My Eyes to See) A Whole New World
by emmanuelles
Summary: New Year's Day Trilogy. Laura and Carmilla spend the first day of 2015 together, and they can't stop surprising each other.


First Chapter of **(Open My Eyes to See) A Whole New World**

Chapter Summary: _"Laura's breath hitches at the word 'love' and she is pretty sure Carmilla can hear her heart ramming against her ribcage. The realization that she's been so blind to see how much of a big deal this is, not only to her, but to Carmilla, too, strikes her hard."_

Author's Notes at the end.

**Chapter 1: Confessions**

The first thing she feels is incredible warmth when she wakes up. The snug feeling quickly fades when throbbing pain jolts into her temple. Damn it, she is still a lightweight.

She opens her eyes narrowly, eyes sensitive to the light, and rubs her temple gently. With a sigh, she turns on her back. A smile tugs at her lips, because she's been dreaming about this moment for months secretly. She is the kind of person who likes to indulge herself with fantasies, involving herself and her actual crush. Not that she would admit it to anyone, especially Carmilla. But the truth is, Laura was so not prepared for her best dreams to come true.

Nothing really compares to waking up next to Carmilla in her bed. Even though they've slept in each other's beds quite a few times in the recent weeks, this feels special now. This is her home after all and this room is where she's spent the majority of her life in. She's had many sleepovers here, meaning that she's had girls in her bed, but not a girl like Carmilla. Not a girl that she, well, "likes" doesn't really apply anymore to the way Laura feels about Carmilla. When she tries to describe it, a different four-letter word comes into her mind, but that's a whole new level of scary and exciting and she is not prepared to declare it yet. Hopefully, soon enough she will be.

With that notion, she rolls on her side and fully takes in the wonder that is Carmilla Karnstein in her bed. Her beauty is admirable and it never falters to enchant Laura with its many mysteries. It's as if every feature of Carmilla's face holds a special secret that incites Laura to unfold it. She stares at Carmilla's face in awe, oh, that jawline, those lips, those cheeks, the long lashes of her eyes and her beautiful hair… she forgets about her pressing headache easily.

She feels the urge to claim what's hers (though they are yet to make their relationship official) and put her arms around Carmilla. Much to her surprise, she's been lucky enough to learn that Carmilla is quite keen on being cuddled in bed. So much about being a badass blood-sucking monster…

Laura's smile turns wider as she shifts closer to Carmilla, enjoying the proximity. The barely there distance between their bodies makes Laura's fingers itch with the need of touching her, and she bites down on her bottom lip eagerly as she reaches out under the covers. To her shock, her fingertips find the bare skin of Carmilla's stomach and oh, heavens!

"What the…?" She whispers to herself, eyes bulging out and fingers retreating. She gulps, because, wow, she wasn't really prepared to be introduced to Carmilla's perfectly taut, yet pleasantly soft stomach like that. It piques her interest though and she carefully lifts the covers to catch a peak. Oh, dear God, Carmilla is not wearing a shirt. Laura stares at her chest in shock, mortified (and increasingly turned on) and it takes a shift of Carmilla's body on the bed to wake her up. Immediately, she recovers, dropping the covers in haste and reclaiming the distance between their bodies.

It is too late though…she is screwed. She could jump out of bed and run away, but still not be able to erase the image of Carmilla's breasts from her mind. It is vivid, and oh so pleasurable to recall, and burying her head in her palm doesn't really help to put the fresh memory to rest. Her headache is back from the hopeless effort of forgetting those damn nipples, and she rolls on her back again, releasing a groan. She honestly has no idea how Carmilla ended up topless in her bed, but oh, wait…what if?

No, it can't be, she would definitely remember that.

However shameful, Laura has to admit that she doesn't remember much of last night. She and Carmilla celebrated New Year's eve at LaFontaine's house (after making sure that her dad would have company and not be alone), and with her lack of partying throughout the semester, she was fated to get drunk easily. She has the brief memory of entering her room at dawn while desperately trying not to wake up her dad and then pushing Carmilla to the door to kiss her clumsily…but nothing after that point. Could Carmilla's apparent nakedness be due to the fact that they, in fact, did something that Laura can't, for the life of her, remember? Crap. How freaking awful would that be! Laura's never made a big deal out of her virgin status, but to lose it to the girl she so obviously has fallen for, and not to remember…well, that's just really not something to be proud of, Miss Hollis.

The wheels turning in her brain at maximum speed, she sits up slightly, furrowing her brows. She doesn't have many options to find out the truth. The last of them, asking Carmilla herself, would be clearly the most humiliating moment of her life. She just can't go there. She has to find out on her own. Think, Laura, come on!

After careful consideration, the obvious solution hits her like a thunderbolt. She blushes at the thought, and looks down at her hand. She stretches her fingers and flips her hand over…no difference detectable so far. She narrows her eyes in concentration as she slowly lifts her fingers to her nose, and she sniffs them. "Hmmm…" she utters quietly, then brings them closer to her nostrils to-

"Good morning, creampuff,"

Laura jolts up and drops her hand to the cover as fast as she can, clearing her throat to regain her composure. "Uh, good morning to you, too," she stutters to Carmilla, who is watching her with overwhelming interest.

"So, care to tell me what exactly were you up to just now?" Carmilla asks teasingly, leaning up on her elbow and training her dark eyes on Laura's face.

It makes Laura flustered and she averts Carmilla's eyes. "Nothing in particular-" She can't even finish the sentence, because at humanly impossible speed, Carmilla grabs her hand and brings her fingers up to her nose against Laura's will. "That was so not fair!" Laura grunts, claiming back her hand and shooting a glare at Carmilla.

"Just thought I would be of help, sweetheart. You know, vampires come with heightened senses," Carmilla shrugs. "But I can assure you, even my nose can't trace any smell that might concern you. So, let's try again, what were you trying to unfold in your charmingly subtle way?"

"You are naked," Laura blurts out, slightly louder than planned and the blunt statement makes Carmilla's eyebrows arch. It seems like she wasn't very much aware of the fact either.

"Oh…I see," she says as realization kicks in, adjusting the covers around her torso. "That surprised you, I imagine."

"Surprised me?" Laura asks with pointed eyes, because duh."Yeah, like, a little…"

Carmilla's mouth turn into a smirk and she looks up at Laura with hooded eyes. She is incredibly sexy right now, and Laura is more than aware of her topless status hidden by the covers, which makes it very hard for her to maintain a normal conversation. Hence, she is defenseless against Carmilla's teasing and her very effective interrogation technique. "If I understand the clues well, then you do have a dirty mind, cutie," Carmilla notes, raising an eyebrow. "But it would be very offensive of you to think that we did it, and you can't remember."

"No, that's not what I - of course, I remember," Laura replies indignantly. "I remember everything from last night."

"No, you don't," Carmilla states with conviction. "That adorable bunched up face of yours when you smelled your fingers for trace of my-"

"Gosh, stop it, you," Laura spats, earning a very amused giggle from Carmilla. Sometimes she just wants to strangle this stupid vampire and right now it's definitely one of those moments. "Okay, if you really want to know, jerk-face, the possibility that we might have, you know, did occur to me briefly, but even through my stupid alcohol-induced haze, I think I would remember that. And I don't think you would let me, anyway, so- I admit, it was silly."

"And there, you are right," Carmilla nods, her expression serious for the first time this morning. "I wouldn't do that to you. I'd never disrespect you, Laura."

Carmilla calling her on her real name is still a rare occurrence (though not as unusual as before), and it pulls on Laura's heartstrings. She locks eyes with her and there's such tenderness in her dark orbs that completely melts Laura. "I know," she whispers and shoots Carmilla a smile.

"Come here, you," Carmilla reaches out for Laura's shoulder and tugs her closer.

Laura lets her with a giggle, shifting closer until their chests meet and their faces are so close she could count Carmilla's eyelashes, if she wanted to. Her effect on Laura is immediate, and her heart skips a beat when Carmilla leans in to kiss her gently. She sighs as they part, "You are so beautiful, Carm."

Carmilla just smiles at her, her face lighting up and there's no remark coming that would push Laura away. It makes her muster up her courage and she lifts her hand to caress Carmilla's jaw with her fingers. She trails a path down on her neck, her eyes boring into Carmilla's, until she stops at her collarbone and rests her palm there softly.

For a short-lived moment, Carmilla looks like she might cry, but instead, Laura finds pressure on her lips yet again and Carmilla is kissing her like her non-human life depended on it. It's a consuming kiss, lips smacking and tongues dancing, and it makes Laura light-headed and arousal pools between her legs. She pants, when Carmilla pulls away, "What was that for?"

"Because you are damn near perfect, you fool," Carmilla shakes her head fondly. "Now let me sleep some more, won't you?"

Laura giggles, sneaking a kiss in before she pulls away from Carmilla. "Fine," she says. "I will go check in with dad, he probably thinks we are dead by now."

"Well, he is only halfway wrong then, isn't he?"

/

Laura emerges from the shower to find Carmilla asleep, yet again. Her curly hair has fallen into her eyes, hiding her pretty face. What is not hidden though, is her shoulder, which is clad in one of Laura's sleeping shirts.

The sight makes Laura's knees week, as she stares at Carmilla with pure adoration. She is so hopelessly falling.

/

Her dad is reading the news on his computer when she goes downstairs. There's breakfast prepared on the table ahead of him. He looks up at her, when she hops down on a chair beside him.

Laura gives him an account of her New Year's eve, carefully picking the details to share of course. Growing up with an over-protective father, she's learned to filter pretty well. And the semester's events greatly improved this skill of hers…

They dwell into a short silence as Laura's eating, before her dad comments on Carmilla's lack of presence at the table. Laura makes up an excuse of Carmilla not wanting to show up in her 'just-out-of-bed' state. She doesn't want her dad to get the impression of Carmilla as a rude person who doesn't show up at breakfast. On the contrary, Carmilla tends to be very polite to the elders, and her behavior almost borders the comical when she is in the presence of Laura's dad.

After breakfast, her dad leaves to clear away the thick layer of snow that covers the ground around the house. Laura stares out of their kitchen window, and marvels at the sight. The whole neighborhood looks like a set of gingerbread houses, covered with white frosting. She sighs, because damn, she loves herself some gingerbread.

/

She decides to check on Carmilla, who, as it turns out, is already awake and having a shower in Laura's bathroom. If the soothing sound of dripping water wouldn't be any indication, Carmilla left an unmistakable trail leading to the bathroom. A trail of clothes to be exact, consisting of a pair of black lace panties, a pair of knee-length black socks and Laura's worn sleeping shirt.

Laura shakes her head in annoyance, because some things just don't change. Being a guest in Laura's home may bring out a more reversed side of Carmilla, but apparently it doesn't make her a less messy roommate. Laura picks up her clothes and puts them on the armchair in neat order, before making the bed. She is showing her back to the bathroom when the door unlocks. "I'm warning you, Carmilla. You only get breakfast, if the shower drain is clear of your hair," Laura says matter-of-factly, while putting the pillows in order.

"That must be the lamest attempt at bribery that I've ever been subjected to," Carmilla replies mockingly. "But it's only expected, coming from a teenager…"

Laura turns around with an indignant huff. "At least this teenager is practicing the basics of hygiene," she points at herself madly. The anger quickly fades though, because screw me, Carmilla is only wearing a white towel wrapped around her torso.

"So I make a mess occasionally…big deal, Monica Geller," Carmilla remarks with narrowed eyes. "Maybe we should look into a countess - maid role play, so you can channel your manic cleaning desire into something truly creative." Before Laura can shoot back an answer, she finds Carmilla pressing into her front and almost buckles from the sensation. She is staring at her with those seduction eyes, and it works every damn time. "You dig role-plays, don't you, creampuff?"

"That was one story," Laura grunts in embarrassment, ignoring Carmilla's incredulous laughter and taking a half-step backwards. "And you so didn't have the right to sneak up on me while I was reading my fanfiction. Boundaries, Carmilla, people have those…and you seem to be a fan of violating mines."

Carmilla smiles calmly, trailing her eyes all over Laura's face. "Aw, how monstrous of me would it be to violate you, innocent child," she utters slowly, fingers tucking a strand of hair behind Laura's ear. Laura is briefly lost in the intimacy of her actions, before she regains her ability to compose a sentence.

"I may be inexperienced, but I'm not a delicate flower, Carmilla," she says crisply. "I'm old enough to know what I'm ready for."

Carmilla drops her hand from Laura's cheek, narrowing her eyes. "Excuse me? I get the vibes that you want to share something, or am I mistaken?"

"No, you know what?" Laura says, shaking her head, because this is just plain silly. "Never mind." She leaves Carmilla flabbergasted, as she starts off to the door.

"Laura, wait-"

"I gotta go, promised to call LaFontaine about today's plans."

"Laura, please-"

/

It wasn't a lie, she really did promise LaFontaine that she'd call them to make arrangements about the rest of the day. But it's not the only reason why she's dialing LaFontaine's number right now. She desperately needs someone to talk to, about her Carmilla-related problems, and LaFontaine is the only person whom Laura trusts. Talking about sex with a vampire is not a kind of topic anyone can handle.

She is in great need of friendly advice, because she can't handle Carmilla's confusing behavior anymore, when it comes to intimacy. Carmilla is playing a cruel game of hot and cold with her, and she is tired of failing when it comes to cracking Carmilla's codes. She is not equipped to deal with this alone.

LaFontaine picks up, and they go over the plan for the day in detail, before Laura musters up her courage to confess what's troubling her. Her friend tells Laura that communication is key, and she should just talk to the girl honestly instead of continuing her slightly passive-aggressive act. They also encourage Laura to do some research, of course, because there might be some truly useful knowledge in those kinky corners of the internet.

After their call ends, Laura contemplates LaFontaine's words and she can't find fault in them. She springs into action and picks up her dad's laptop, first opening the browser's settings to check if it's gonna delete the browsing history before she dives into research. She can't even think about how her dad would react, if he discovered his only child searching for the term 'vampire sex' on the internet. Better be safe, then sorry, kids.

She types the words in, and the number of hits is truly shocking. So are the top hits, which, ew, they are all links to porn sites. Laura is so not ready to expose herself to such a graphic demonstration yet. She rather focuses on a Cosmo article about "How to have vampire sex". Scrolling through, she groans in displeasure…she doesn't need to know how to behave like a vampire during sex, she needs to know how to please one. This is harder than she thought…at last, she resorts to browsing through a bunch of non-rated smutty vampire fanfiction. Fanfiction never failed her so far, and it proves to be handy yet again. Laura's eyes widen as the stories turn darker and kinkier, and a knot forms in her throat. Bruises, bite marks, fangs, sucking and nibbling, and whoa, is this really what's in store for her with Carmilla? Will she really want to feed on Laura, while they are at it?

She is bewildered at the thought, though slightly fascinated by the idea…ugh, she is turning into a total freak. She quickly deletes the history and closes the lid of the laptop, only to find Carmilla staring at her curiously.

"Jeez, you should seriously stop doing that," Laura blurts out nervously. "You're gonna give me a heart attack once."

Carmilla is not fazed by the comment, she stares at Laura with a solemn expression. "I'm sorry, Laura," she says at last and clearly, she doesn't mean it only for startling Laura. Remorse is written across her face, and it's one of the rare occasions that she displays her emotions so openly. Laura knows the privilege is only hers to ever witness. And so, she treasures it.

She shoots Carmilla a tight-lipped smile. "It's fine, Carm," she shrugs a little, because it's no big deal. This silly vampire is wearing the grumpy-cat Christmas sweatshirt Laura gave her, and well, she is considered forever forgiven for all of her sins because she just looks so damn adorable right now.

Carmilla smiles at her shyly, and takes a seat beside Laura. They fall into silence, and Laura averts Carmilla's searching eyes. "Okay, this is beyond awkward. What's up with you?"

"I'm fine, really," Laura says nonchalantly. God, why can't she just get this over with?

Carmilla sighs, and squeezes the back of Laura's hand. "Laura, for the last time, will you please tell me what's bothering you?" Her serious tone reassures Laura. Communication is key, remember.

She opens her mouth reluctantly, because this conversation is just damn frightening already. Kinda more frightening than fighting a bunch of vampires and some evil all-consuming light. "I just, when we were back at school, we were so clear about rules and now you're not and-," she blabbers hastily. "And I know that you're probably enjoying this little game of yours, but it's just…I know you probably think I'm an naive, silly girl, because you've been with like, what?" She asks with a dry laughter. "Hundreds of girls…or - or a thousand? And I just-," she shakes her head a little. "I like you, I mean, really like you, and maybe I'm stupid to think that should be enough, but isn't it?"

She gulps, because, well, she didn't really intend to flood the kitchen with her incoherent blabbering. "You must think this is really silly."

"Must I?" Carmilla asks quietly. "Maybe a bit, but also, to be fair, not completely uncalled for."

"Yeah..?"

Carmilla sighs, reaching out to grab Laura's hand and gently pull it into her lap. "First of all, cupcake, even you can't be so silly to assume this has anything to do with my vast experience with girls, or your lack thereof," she shakes her head with a faint smile. "I may have slept with a thousand girls in my 344 years of existence, but the truth is, ten fingers would be enough to count how many of their names I can still remember."

Laure listens to her and it feels easier to breathe.

"Sex for me, has served the purpose of seduction and deceit for as long as I can remember, and has never been special, meaningful," Carmilla continues, voice laced with sadness and regret. Laura turns her hand, and laces their fingers together, earning a small smile. "You and I are not so different here. I've never-," Carmilla casts her gaze down on their hands. "I've never made love to someone before."

Laura's breath hitches at that word and she is pretty sure Carmilla can hear her heart ramming against her ribcage. The realization that she's been so blind to see how much of a big deal this is, not only to her, but to Carmilla, too, strikes her hard. They may be different in most things, but sleeping with someone they like…or dare to say, love, is not one of them. They are equal in this.

"And before I do, to you," Carmilla says quietly, lifting her gaze to stare into Laura's eyes. "I want to make sure that you know me, so you won't have any regrets. I want to prove that I am worthy of you."

Laura smiles at her in honest disbelief. "Like saving my life more than once didn't do that already? Now who is being ridiculous?"

Carmilla shrugs, biting down on her lip to stop herself from smiling. "Well, it's a start, but…what I mean is, I want to date you, Laura. Courting is a much more fitting word, but…"

"Kind of old-fashioned?" Laura asks teasingly, earning a glare. "But…also very romantic, Carm. I'm truly honored." She lifts Carmilla's hand and kisses her palm.

"All right, so, can we stop with this ridiculous nonsense and just enjoy the ride, for now?"

"Hmmm…" Laura contemplates for a while, before giving in at last. "Fine. And I promise not to worry…too much."

"There you go, buttercup," Carmilla winks. "Look, I know I still kinda suck at the feelings thing, but if something's up, you can tell me."

Laura nods, and she can't help but smile proudly at Carmilla. She's come a long way from being a horrible roommate who marched into her dorm room and pissed her off every single day, to being this girl who completely takes Laura's breath away and opens up a whole new world for her to see. For Laura, sometimes it's still hard to believe that Carmilla, an old soul in a young body, a girl with tremendous life-experience and great wisdom about the world, can fall for a girl like her. Carmilla is a real proof that, on the contrary of the teachings of modern popular culture, vampires, indeed, have souls.

At least hers has a beautiful one.

/

**Author's Notes:**

First ever Carmilla story of mine, for those who crave a bit of fluff for the start of their New Year. I appreciate feedback, thank you very much.

emmanuelle-s. tumblr. com


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